


A Midsummer Night's Dream

by Burgie



Category: Star Stable Online
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-23
Updated: 2016-08-23
Packaged: 2018-08-10 14:03:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7847911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Various couples (taking place in various AUs) try the midsummer tradition of dreaming of their true love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Louisa honestly wasn’t expecting the seven flowers to give her a dream about her true love. But she put them under her pillow anyway, just for fun. They smelled nice, anyway. And when she did drift off, she dreamed of someone. But she had never seen this person before. There was a girl with short, spiky red hair, and a blue vest with a fur-trimmed hood. And she was sitting on a horse in front of a large tree with a pink light in her hand. Maybe she was magical. And when she looked at Louisa with those green eyes, Louisa felt something fluttering in her chest.

“Hello there,” said the girl.

“Hi,” said Louisa, her voice small. Her mouth was dry as her heart pounded. This dream felt so real.

The dream was hard to remember after that. But Louisa remembered red hair and green eyes. Pink light, and stars swirling around them as they danced. She was confused when she woke up alone in her bed.

“So, did you dream about your true love?” asked Steve as Louisa rode back to him the next day.

“Yes, I did,” said Louisa. “But I don’t know who-“

“You don’t have to tell me, it can be a secret,” said Steve.

“But I don’t know who she is,” said Louisa. “She just has spiky red hair and green eyes and I could hear music.” She’d forgotten that, until she’d finally placed the tune that she’d had in her head all day.

“Aha. I think I know who you mean,” said Steve. “You two would make a good match.”

“But I don’t know who she is,” Louisa repeated. Steve had turned to another girl, though, so Louisa sighed and rode away.

Weeks later, Louisa stood frozen in a field near an ancient tree as Dark Riders taunted her and Smokeeye uttered panicked whinnies.

“Stop!” When Louisa heard the voice and saw the girl who’d spoken, she felt like her heart had stopped too. That voice… she’d heard it in that weird ‘true love’ dream weeks ago, but she hadn’t recognised it when it was warped by the Pandorian energies. Sabine provided Louisa with a name, one familiar to Louisa. Lisa.

“You saved me,” said Louisa. Lisa sat atop Starshine in front of the ancient tree with a pink light in her hand, just like in her dream. Louisa felt the same, too, only she was also worried about her poor horse. But her mouth was dry and her heart was pounding.

“Are you alright? Those girls didn’t hurt you, did they?” asked Lisa. Louisa felt her heart pounding even harder as Lisa got closer.

“No, I’m fine,” said Louisa.

“You sure? You’re shaking,” said Lisa.

“I’m fine,” said Louisa. “But my horse is-“

“Oh no, your poor horse!” Louisa watched as Lisa healed Smokeeye’s hoof, smiling. At least now she knew who her true love was.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex tries the dream tradition after Louisa tells her that it works.

“Alex, I found her!” Alex looked up from Tin Can’s mane (which she most definitely hadn’t just been braiding) as her friend rode into the Equestrian Centre.

“Found who?” asked Alex. “Ooh, ouch, what happened to your horse?”

“I found her,” said Louisa. “Lisa. She’s the one who I dreamed about on Midsummer.”

“Really? Cool,” said Alex. “I thought that it was just a myth. There are lots of those on Jorvik.”

“Well, apparently this one isn’t,” said Louisa. “You should try it next Midsummer.”

“I will,” said Alex. If Anne wasn’t found by then, well…

Time passed. The next Midsummer saw Alex angrily ripping out wild flowers and stuffing them under her pillow before falling asleep. Anne had been in her thoughts, and now she was in her dreams too.

The world of the dream seemed like heaven. Too good to be true. They were on a large estate, one with large golden gates and high sandstone walls and a nameplate reading ‘Cloudmill’ on the front gates. Endless farmland surrounded them, filled with grazing horses and ponies and farm animals. There was a large shed filled with all kinds of machinery.

And Anne, looking radiant and healthy and just there, riding Concorde while Alex rode Tin Can alongside her. They had a picnic on a hillside beneath a tree, just like in the movies. They kissed and held each other, and it felt so good having Anne in her arms again.

Waking up in an empty bed felt even worse now. Now, Alex knew that Anne was her soul mate. She had to get her back. Telling the druids that she was missing one half of her soul wouldn’t work, not when they believed that Tin Can was the other half of her soul. She sobbed in her bed, still feeling Anne in her arms even though it had just been a dream.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katja tells Alex some history of them, and some 'history' of the Midsummer festival.

Katja woke up from a pleasant dream about Alex. The Midsummer dreams were always overly sappy and romantic, and this one didn’t disappoint. She closed her eyes and snuggled her face into the pillow, trying to bring back the images of a snow castle and their ‘home’ of Fort Maria. The wild flowers smelled very sweet. They’d permeated the dream, too. Katja grinned into the pillow, but a laugh told her that she wasn’t alone.

“What are you doing?” asked Alex, and Katja smiled and opened her eyes to see Alex’s grinning face.

“I had a Midsummer night’s dream about you,” said Katja. She sat up in bed.

“I thought that only worked on young girls,” said Alex.

“Rude,” said Katja, sticking her tongue out and then laughing at Alex’s blush. “The wording of the legend is weird. It can be got around if you’re young to someone. And I am the youngest siren.”

“Who made up that legend, anyway?” asked Alex. She wrapped her arms around her girlfriend and kissed her.

“Oh, who do you think?” asked Katja. “Aideen was so sappy in that incarnation.”

“You remember it?” asked Alex.

“Yes,” said Katja. She kissed Alex. “And that’s not the only little piece of information I can give you. I can tell you why we’re… always drawn together.”

“You mean we’re not just soul mates because of fate?” asked Alex.

“No,” said Katja. “That’s just a nice little lie.” She was suddenly unsure if Alex would like the truth.

“Then why?” asked Alex.

“I made us soul mates,” said Katja. “In one cycle, we were so madly in love that I never wanted to be parted from you. We were practically married.”

“Was this the cycle where we had Buck?” asked Alex.

“No,” said Katja. “And I’m really glad that it wasn’t. Losing the two of you was bad enough, but if the soul bond had been fresh then… I would’ve gone insane.”

“Go on,” said Alex. “Damn, I wish I had something to write this down on.”

“It’s all in the Lost Book of Ceremonies,” said Katja. “I created a needle which could bind souls together. Not just for that purpose, though. Aideen used it to bind the Soul Riders to their horses.”

“So then why did you create it, if not for that?” asked Alex.

“As a safety thing,” said Katja. “The ocean is very big, and I didn’t want to lose my sisters. So I bound us together. And then, in one cycle, I bound our souls together. You were on our side after that. Until Elise went mad. She killed us together, and I’m glad that she did. It hurt like hell, though.” She grimaced at the memory of the soul-shredding pain.

“So you’re still my soul mate,” said Alex. “But how does that work? My soul is subtly different in each incarnation, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” said Katja. “The bond is very faint, but it’s still there. At least on my end.”

“Wow,” said Alex. “So you’ve felt me die every time?”

“Faintly,” said Katja. “I hate it, though.”

“Well, that’s interesting,” said Alex. “Someday, you’ll have to tell me everything that you know.”

“Perhaps we should start with the current holiday,” said Katja. “Originally, girls used to dance naked around the maypole and then have a huge orgy by the bonfire.”

“Really?” asked Alex. “Pity they discontinued that tradition.”

“Oh yes,” said Katja, grinning as Alex blushed. “And we took part as well, of course. Just the memory of our naked bodies dancing together and then making love by the bonfire fills me with desire.”

“Maybe we could… recreate it?” asked Alex.

“Maybe,” said Katja. “Although it would be more along the lines of creating it.”

“Huh?” asked Alex. Katja laughed.

“You’re so gullible,” said Katja. “Of course we never used to do that, it’s a Nordic tradition, not Greek.” She kept laughing as Alex’s cheeks turned red.

Alex would have felt betrayed, but she knew her girlfriend well enough now to know that she didn’t mean any harm. So instead she went after that traitorous tongue, kissing Katja and nipping at her tongue.

“Ow,” said Katja, and then she returned the kiss, sliding her hand into Alex’s hair and getting her fingers tangled in strands that hadn’t seen a brush yet. Alex’s tongue glided over hers and Katja moaned, feeling Alex’s hands slipping beneath her shirt to touch her skin. And then Alex pulled away slightly, but not before Katja caught a whiff of the wild flowers in her hair.

“I actually dreamed about that last night,” said Alex. “It’s funny, though, I didn’t hear anything in the legend about soul mates sharing dreams.”

“There’s a lot that the legend leaves out,” said Katja. “But you should know that better than anyone.”

“True,” said Alex. She kissed her again, a series of light kisses pressed to her lips. They had things to do that day, but everything could wait. Sleepy morning kisses were far more important.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jessica tries the midsummer dream tradition.

Not many flowers grew on South Hoof. Certainly not the wild ones that grew over Jorvik. Yet Jessica still hoped that the tradition would work. After all, Katja wasn’t a young girl, and it had worked for her. So Jessica pulled her Welsh pony steed up by some rocks and dismounted to gather some of the vibrant blue-purple flowers that grew wild here. She could have picked some of the ones that looked like lavender, but they grew down by the ferry landing and she didn’t want to risk being seen.

Jessica remembered, many centuries ago, when a lovestruck Aideen had created this tradition and the magic that went with it. All of Jorvik’s wildflowers had been enchanted to provide a girl with dreams of her true love. And all because Aideen had fallen in love for the very first time. Jessica had scoffed at the foolish notion of true love once. But then she, too, had fallen.

After she’d gathered enough flowers, Jess rode back to the cottage and took the tack off her steed before brushing him down. She’d had this stallion since she’d met the Hermit of South Hoof back when he’d been young. Now, her own son was nearly grown, and yet the horse still lived. He was getting old, but his heart still beat strong. She felt it under her hand as she groomed him.

“Sleep well, my prince,” said Jessica, and her pony snuffled at her hand as she petted his nose and then kissed it.

Jess walked inside the cottage and was immediately embraced by the man she loved.

“How does the herd look, my love?” asked the Hermit.

“Strong and large,” said Jess. “I saw a few new foals today.” She grinned, already looking forward to falling in love with a new generation of foals. It was one of her favourite things about this place.

“And your Nightprince is the sire to most if not all, no doubt,” said the Hermit. “He is as handsome as his rider is beautiful.” That said, he kissed her, and Jess blushed and returned the kiss as heat filled her.

When the two of them fell asleep in their bed that night, Jess made sure that the flowers she’d picked were under her pillow. They smelled nice, and she’d heard her sister say that the scent of the flowers permeated the dream. If it worked. As she closed her eyes and began to drift off with the Hermit’s arms around her, Jess hoped that she would dream about the man holding her.

Jess dreamed about the land that she slept on. She felt happy in the dream, and an overwhelming sense of love. In the dream, she walked across the peninsula with the long, soft grass brushing her bare calves. She was clad in a strange black silk robe, and her feet were in soft black shoes. They felt like soft leather. Her hair was tied back in her typical ponytail, though it was looser than she usually had it.

Jess walked until another person appeared, with a herd of horses around him. At the sight of him, she grinned and broke into a run. As she embraced the Hermit in her dream, Jess knew that she was grinning in the waking world. But it was definitely a very pleasant dream.

“There you are, my beautiful wife,” said the Hermit in her dream. Jess was grinning so much that she was afraid she’d wake up. And she could smell the flowers, though the ground around them was teeming with flowers.

“And you, my perfect husband,” said Jess, knowing that she was quite possibly saying that in her sleep. “I love you so much.” His embrace was so real, so warm, so perfect.

Jess was still smiling when she woke up, and she wasn’t at all surprised to see the Hermit looking at her.

“Did you have a nice dream?” asked the Hermit.

“Yes,” said Jess, knowing that she was blushing. “I dreamed of my true love.”

“So that tradition does work, even out here. Who did you dream about?” asked the Hermit.

“You,” said Jess. “You’re my true love.” She giggled, still beaming.

“Well, knock me down with a feather,” said the Hermit. Jess laughed and kissed him.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elizabeth tries the midsummer dream tradition, and finds out something new about Katja.

According to legend, during Midsummer, young girls would dream of their true love if they picked seven wild flowers and slept with them under their pillow. According to the four people living in Elizabeth’s old house, this was true even if the girl wasn’t technically young. After all, it had worked for a centuries-old siren.

While Elizabeth gathered the flowers, she wondered if they needed to be seven specific flowers. Maybe they’d have a certain aura around them, but all she could sense was the magic of life. Oh, maybe it wouldn’t work for her after all and she was just being foolish. Besides, she didn’t need a dream to tell her who her true love was. She loved Avalon more than she’d ever loved anyone else. Sure, it might not be the love that had lasted for centuries through countless deaths and betrayals, but she shouldn’t be comparing herself to those two anyway. She was just a druid dating another druid. Granted, he was an Elder, but…

“You’ve been staring at that flower for ten minutes now,” said a voice, drawing her out of her thoughts. Katja laughed as Elizabeth got to her feet, brushing the dirt off her palms on the skirt of her dress.

“Speak of the devil,” said Elizabeth, and shook her head with a smile. “I was just thinking about you.”

“Good things, I hope,” said Katja. Elizabeth hoped that she hadn’t taken offence to being called a devil. 

“Yes, actually. But I’m just worried. Because the spell worked for you, you dreamed of your true love, but maybe that’s just because you look like a young girl or because you and Alex are soul mates. But it might not work for me,” said Elizabeth.

“Okay, first of all, you’re a druid,” said Katja. “You’re burning with magic, I can see it in your aura. Of course the spell would work for you, Aideen said ‘young girl’ but do you think she was young when she made the spell? No, she was about your age and brimming with magic.”

“Is it another thing that the druids have forgotten the whole lot of?” asked Elizabeth. “Like you.”

“Yes, actually,” said Katja. “The things she said and the things she put in the spell were completely different. Alex analysed it and she confirmed it- mortal young girls can have the dream but only if they’re young to someone, but any magical girl can have the dream. Even you.”

“It still surprises me, how much you know about magic,” said Elizabeth. “Is it just a coincidence that you and Alex are both magic nerds?”

“Strangely, yes,” said Katja. “And I like it.” She smiled. “Anyway, I’ll leave you to your flowers.”

“Why did you come out here, anyway?” asked Elizabeth.

“To prove a point,” said Katja. “Lisa said that maybe I’m an albino so I’m proving to her that the sun doesn’t hurt me.”

“Okay, have fun with that,” said Elizabeth. She walked away to gather more flowers, and looked behind her to see Lisa giving Katja some money. That was strange. Katja was still wearing her coat, so if she was trying to prove that the sun didn’t hurt her then…

Elizabeth realised what had happened when she was a little further away, and laughed. Of course they would be betting on that. But at least they were friends now. Even if it was her love life they were betting on.

Elizabeth gathered the seven flowers and then returned to Valedale, hiding the flowers in the large apron on the front of her dress. Hopefully contact with other alchemical ingredients wouldn’t damage the magic, but they’d survived the trip in Louisa’s saddlebags so they should be fine.

Avalon was waiting for her, sitting at a wooden table outside his cottage with his hood down and pale hands warming in the sunlight. His face was handsome as always, with eyebrows that weren’t too thick or too thin, a narrow nose, thin lips, and blue eyes. His hair today was black and kept short.

“Hello, my little druid,” said Avalon with a smile. Elizabeth smiled back and blushed at the name that she’d given herself in that love letter.

“Hello, Avalon,” said Elizabeth. “What very important task have we got planned for today?”

“Do you remember when I asked Katja to write down her memories of the Valley of the Hidden Dinosaur?” asked Avalon.

“Yes,” said Elizabeth. “She was quite honoured with the task. She was very busy with it, in fact, and even had to be dragged away from her work by Alex. Which is quite a role reversal for them.”

“Well, the notes are all here,” said Avalon, patting a large stack of paper. “Nic Stoneground would probably pay every shilling he had to get these notes. Fortunately for him, and out of respect for Katja, these will not be published unless she allows it. There are some secrets in here that Dark Core would kill to know. Secrets that enable us to be safe from them there.”

“That’s huge,” said Elizabeth, her fingers itching to grab the papers and read over them. “So our task for the day is to read them?”

“Read and compare them with Louisa’s notes of what is currently open to us in the Valley,” said Avalon. He tapped a much smaller notepad.

“Katja wasn’t kidding when she said that she could be a huge asset to us, knowledge-wise,” said Elizabeth, looking at the sheer size difference between the two.

“Most of this is about the secret land of the Kallters,” said Avalon.

“Oh my. And she trusts us with this information?” asked Elizabeth. “She must have a huge deal of faith in us.”

“We are the only ones who took her in,” said Avalon. “I get the sense that she’d do anything to stay with us.”

“You’re making it sound like we’re her parents,” said Elizabeth, and laughed.

“In a way, we are,” said Avalon. “But emotions later. For now, we shall read and compare.”

While they read, Elizabeth found herself playing footsie with him under the table. Eventually, though, their feet just rested together. The day passed slowly, but they barely noticed as they became lost in a world of snow and an ancient, forgotten culture.

Elizabeth only noticed what time it was when she felt the night-vision runes near her eyes burn to life.

“Oh, it has gotten late,” said Elizabeth. “I barely noticed.”

“Hm? Oh, so it has,” said Avalon. “Interesting. But what this tells us is also so very… very interesting.” Elizabeth nodded with an affirmative noise.

“Who is cooking tonight?” asked Elizabeth, rising to her feet and stretching.

“You cook, I want to keep reading,” said Avalon. “And then I want to interview our Kallter Queen. If you’ll let me.”

“Tomorrow,” said Elizabeth. She kissed him on the forehead and then went inside the house to prepare a simple meal for the two of them. While she was inside, she also put the wild flowers under her pillow in their bed. Then, she turned herself to the task of preparing a vegetarian dinner.

That night, Elizabeth fell asleep in Avalon’s arms (he really did not need to create a muscular body for night-time activities but he did anyway), smiling as she smelled the wild flowers. She dramed that they were in the Stone Circle. Getting married, she soon realised when she saw the white daisies around her wrists and on her sandles. She had some Valedale roses in her hair, which was worn in a fancier style but still one that she liked. Louisa was there, wearing her Easter dress, but Elizabeth had eyes only for the druid standing at the later.

He’d swapped his normal robes for ones with golden stitching, and he had a handsome face. Elizabeth would love him no matter what he looked like, though. She, herself, wore white robes with strange designs stitched into them in the same golden thread.

“Aideen bind and keep you,” Fripp’s voice echoed. Elizabeth felt like her heart was going to burst out of her chest when they were finally announced as man and wife, and their kiss was utterly magical.

When Elizabeth awoke, the bed was empty, but she was grinning from ear to ear. The dream had worked, the spell was real, and Avalon was her true love. Avalon was surprised when Elizabeth kissed him, but then he plucked a wild flower petal from her tangled red hair and chuckled.


End file.
